


Inked into Our Hearts

by IvyCpher



Category: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe - Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Genre: Dogs, Drawing, Kissing, M/M, Philosophy, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:54:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24648289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvyCpher/pseuds/IvyCpher
Summary: Ari is obsessed with seeing whatever Dante has been spending so much time drawing and he finally gets to see it.
Relationships: Aristotle Mendoza/Dante Quintana
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	Inked into Our Hearts

Ari loved watching Dante draw, even when he never got to see what he was drawing. Whenever Dante was sketching, Ari always tried to watch him, but he never wanted Dante to notice. It was an embarrassing thing to be caught staring at a person, even more embarrassing when you loved that person, and Ari was already embarrassing enough in his opinion.

So whenever Ari was with Dante whenever he was overcome with the random urge to draw, he watched him but he pretended that he wasn't. Ari wasn't very good at the art of being subtle though, that sort of thing was reserved for moms. He would get too distracted at Dante, how his eyes became so focused, how his mouth would scrunch up, how beautiful he was, and would totally forget to try and pretend to be not looking at him.

There was one drawing of Dante's that Ari wanted to see more than anything though. It was a hard curiosity that overcame him like the urge to drive as fast as he could on the empty desert roads. Ari knew it was one drawing too, because usually whenever Dante was drawing something he would sit in one place and work there until it was done. But with whatever Dante was drawing then, he couldn't sit still for. He would move around the house, sitting on the counter or in the windowsill, or laying on the sofa or on the bed. He just couldn't sit still.

Finally, Dante's constant moving around got to Ari. "What are you drawing?" He asked from the kitchen. Dante was outside on the porch swing. The door was open but the screen door was closed so the hot summer air filled the house.

"A picture," Dante said simply, not looking up from his sketchpad. He pulled an eraser from his pocket and began to use it on whatever he was drawing.

Rolling his eyes, Ari opened the screen door of the old house. Even after a year, he wasn't used to the fact that he  _ owned  _ a house. Instead of selling it when his Aunt Ophelia left it to him, he decided to keep it and move into it after he graduated high school. Dante came with him and they both attended different colleges close by. He sat on the other end of the porch swing and it creaked under his and Dante's combined weight. "Can I see it?"

Dante looked up from his sketchbook and nodded, flashing Ari a smile. "Yeah, but only when it's done and perfectly finished."

Ari was going to ask what 'perfectly finished' meant, but just then, Legs got up from her bed on the other end of the porch and came over to the swing. She rested her front paws on the edge of the swing and gave a happy bark.

"Looks like Legs thinks you need a break," Ari said instead. He scooted over as much as he could and patted the tiny free space between him and Dante. Legs quickly hopped up and tried to nose his face. Laughing, Ari pushed her towards Dante. "Right, Legs?"

Dante just had time to flip his sketchbook closed before Legs hopped onto him, trying to lick his face. "Okay!" He laughed, rubbing her chest and shoulders with his hands. "I'll take a break." Legs sat on his chest, and looked around, panting. Dante looked around her skinny body and playfully glared at Ari. "She's my Legs now."

"You take my shirts, you take my towels, and now you take my  _ dog? _ " Grinned Ari. He awkwardly moved between Dante and the swing, but he didn't quite fit so he ended up half laying on his boyfriend. "Is nothing sacred?" He asked, just as Legs jumped off Dante to stand on the porch. She had her front half pressed low and her tail swinging wildly, barking and looking ready to play.

"We're  _ dating,  _ Angel, that means she's my dog too." Dante didn't complain at how Ari climbed on top of him with Legs gone. "Tu perra es mi perra."

"Oh, if that's the rule you want to play by, then I  _ should _ get half the bed at night. But you're worse than sleeping with Legs. At least she doesn't turn into a pro wrestler who pushes me around when she's asleep."

Faking innocence, Dante grinned. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Last time I checked, I was a swimmer not a wrestler."

"I woke up with your foot in my ribs this morning."

"At least it wasn't in your face."

"I don't think it would make me any uglier even if you did kick me in the face."

Dante's face took on a serious expression and he reached up to wrap his arms around Ari's neck. "You aren't ugly." He said sincerely. "You're beautiful."

Feeling his face heat up, Ari felt the urge to look away but there was nothing to look at but Dante. He knew there was no use fighting Dante, especially on something like his appearance. Dante was too stubborn to ever let him get away with making self deprecating comments aloud. "Okay."

"Okay." Repeated Dante. He nodded softly, then tilted his head up to kiss Ari.

Ari could never turn down a kiss from Dante, so he did what he always did and kissed him back.

***

For the following week after that day, Ari's curiosity just kept growing for whatever Dante was drawing. He couldn't think of what it could be and whenever he came home from his college classes or work to find Dante drawing he wanted nothing more than to sneak a peek at his sketchbook. But he didn't. Ari tried once and Dante stopped him right away, pulling his sketch pad close to his chest and not putting it back down until he had left the room.

And then finally came the day when Ari didn't have to be curious of Dante's secret drawing anymore.

Ari had just gotten home from class and was planning on putting together a sandwich before taking a nap and so he could be rested for the night shift at work. "Hey, I'm home!" He yelled inside, in case Dante was home. Legs was jumping at his legs and barking happily.

"On the porch!" Came Dante's voice from further inside.

Ari loved up Legs a little, scratching her behind the ears as he took off his shoes at the door. Then he headed towards the kitchen that led to the back porch, Legs ran in front of him, seeming to already know where he was going. As he hung up his truck keys on a key peg in the kitchen, he spotted Dante on the porch swing.

Legs was the first to run out the open porch and hop onto the swing beside Dante. Ari sat on the other end of the swing with Legs wiggling happily between them both.

Dante was smiling and petting Legs, "I got a tattoo." He said, looking up from Legs to Ari.

"Really?" Ari smiled, "Is it a gang sign? Finally, you're more Mexican than me."

Dante rolled his eyes, "It's what I've been drawing."

"Does that mean I finally get to see it?"

Dante stuck out his arm and turned it over to show his wrist. On the inside of his wrist was a small, still red tattoo of a sparrow. Seeing it made Ari's mind go back in time to that day in the rain on the road.

"It's that bird," Ari said slowly. "But all better." He never did learn what happened to it. But to see it immortalized in Dante's skin made him feel better even though he never registered that he was bothered by not knowing what happened to it. "What made you get it?"

Shrugging, Dante took back his arm. He looked down at the tattoo of the little bird. "I've just been thinking about that day a lot lately."

Ari nodded. Legs laid down on the swing, resting her head in his lap. Thinking about that day didn't hurt like it used to forever ago, but he didn't often think about it.

"Ari, do you ever think what would have happened if I wouldn't have found that bird?"

"I know I wouldn't have got hit by a car." Ari admitted.

"But maybe without that bird we wouldn't have gotten together."

Ari shot Dante a confused look, "I wish there was a dictionary for your brain. So I could look up things you say and know exactly what you mean."

"I mean," Dante put his hands in front of him, guestering vaguely. "What if that bird had set things off for us? So many things could have happened, but our lives were changed by a bird that, just by coincidence, was by my house that day."

"Since when are you studying philosophy?"

"Ari."

"No, really, I thought you were studying to become an artist?"

"Aren't you curious about how that bird changed everything?"

"No."

"No?"

Ari exhaled slowly. "Yes, but I don't want to think about how a bird changed my life forever. I don't get to control the birds, Dante, so if they get to change my life, then that scares me." He shrugged and looked down at Legs' face in his lap. "It's enough that other people can change my life, but  _ birds? _ Maybe birds- except for that one, that day, should leave my life alone."

"I guess that answers my question on buying a bird feeder." Said Dante after a moment.

"You already bought one, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Legs will have fun hunting them."

Dante rolled his eyes and leaned over to rub Legs' belly. "The only thing she hunts is shoes and sandwich scraps." Her tail thumped happily against the seat of the swing.

Ari watched Dante for a second, "I like it. Your tattoo. I never said it when you showed me."

With a small smile, Dante looked up at Ari. "Thanks." Then he looked down at his wrist. "My mom always talked about tattoos like they hurt much more, but it really didn't hurt much at all."

"I think moms lie about tattoos so they hope their kids won't get any."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Moms lie about a lot of things." Dante said. "They meddle." He titled his chin up at Ari.

"Maybe moms meddle in our lives as much as the birds." Then Ari kissed Dante because he could and because he wanted to. Maybe a bird on a stormy day brought them together, but Ari chose to be with Dante. The world could deal him whatever hand it wanted, but it was his choice to play his cards.

**Author's Note:**

> I re-read Ari & Dante last week and just had to write something!
> 
> Comments are very much appreciated!!!


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